Equal parts storefront theatre, opera company, and grotesque chamber ensemble, HOWL confronts collaborations that place the musicians at the center of the action. HOWL is a performing arts ensemble whose core members include a composer, a stage director, a soprano, a percussionist, a poet, and a lighting designer -- through its diverse membership we seek to create theatrical, cross-disciplinary collaborations deeply tied to the performance of newly composed music. New works are created collaboratively over the course of two years, in six week-long workshop residencies. This structure enables teams of artists to create evening-length theatrical pieces over a long period of time, allowing the work to evolve and change organically. These workshop periods include educational events called Open.Studio.Audience.Talkback, in which diverse communities of artists, patrons, and community members come to experience and respond to our works in progress. These presentations facilitate an open dialogue with the community and an opportunity for feedback from varying groups of musicians and non-musicians alike. In this way, our audiences have an investment in the artistic process and can engage pro-actively with us to create work that is truly community-inspired and uniquely imaginative.
